A national conversation about potential links between smartphones and digital media and the ongoing teen mental health crisis has reached a fever pitch. Research does not definitively show that excessive screen time causes teen anxiety or depression, though research is ongoing. Still, in June 2024, the U.
S. surgeon general called for warning labels to be placed on social media , stating that “the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor.” But some researchers are expressing concerns that these warnings are too broad .
Still, it’s no wonder that parents feel pressured to do something — anything — to reduce the risks. Setting strict limits on how preteen and teen children use the internet is a popular strategy . But our research suggests that achieving a healthy media environment at home may require a more complex and nuanced approach.
We are a group of research scientists who have backgrounds in psychology, human development , social ecology , pediatrics and community psychology and education . Recently we collaborated on a mixed-method study of how parents monitor their middle school-aged kids’ internet use. We found that more restrictive parental monitoring was significantly associated with problematic internet use , while some forms of less restrictive monitoring were not.
There are no hard and fast rules about the maximum number of screen hours before it’s deemed unhealthy. But many p.
